Are ZX10R's still available here from kawasaki big bike or the like. I would really like to buy one but cannot find information relating to them recently.

No (at least not this year)- they've been dropped from the domestically-available line-up, so you can't get one direct through Kawi- one of the importers (like Red Baron) may be able to source one.

Here's the list of available bikes for 2013:

image.jpg

Yikes, the er6 range has certainly jumped in price (new taxes etc.)

It's getting quite hard to justify trading in an existing bike for the latest model. Those second hand er6's at well under 200k look great value compared to the new price... I wonder how these price hikes have affected new sales...

While I'm not sure what the time-frame is, Real Motorsports has 10 Versys, 12 Ninja 650, and 38 ER-6N with deposits on them waiting to be picked up (all ordered by Thais)- they seem to be selling a lot of them- I don't think foreigners constitute a major part of the market, but it seems the Thais are very willing to pay the price- I would imagine the numbers are way bigger at the main dealership.

Good to hear they're still selling well, I would have though Honda and Ducati would have cut into their sales. I guess they're still decent value at those prices (in the Thai market), just in my head I still think of an Er6 being circa 250k. I guess I'm stuck in 2009.

I was just thinking that when I see so many low (10-20k kms) mileage er6's for the 170k mark it must be tempting to pick one up of those up as your first 'big' bike (which I suspect this is for many of these Thai buyers) and see how you like it. But then I suppose the Thai's prefer to buy new and it might be harder to arrange credit terms/insurance on the second hand bikes...

I think financing is a huge part of it- many buyers would have trouble coming up with the lump sum for a less expensive used bike, and there's always the Thai stigma that comes from buying second-hand.

Kawasaki really has the ER-6N situated well- Ducatis are way more expensive, and Honda doesn't have anything in the class to match it in performance (their new 500cc bikes are at a different level)- it's pricey, but it's not that overpriced compared to what it goes for in the rest of the world (it's the equivalent of 265k baht in the UK, i.e.)